Congressman Lawler recounts 'chaos and confusion' during White House Correspondent's Dinner
On X, Congressman Mike Lawler spoke about the security measures at the event, saying that while the perimeter outside the ballroom held up, there were "numerous glaring security issues."
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Congressman Mike Lawler and his wife were at the White House correspondents’ dinner Saturday night when shots rang out inside the ballroom.
Lawler, who represents parts of Westchester and the Hudson Valley, joined News 12 on Sunday to recount the chaos at the Washington Hilton in D.C.
He said that they were seated in the middle of the ballroom when he heard a "pop" followed by the sound of fallen plates. President Donald Trump said he originally thought the sound was a tray dropping. Secret service and other law enforcement members then "stormed the ballroom and we heard 'shots fired shots fired,'" he said.
Top officials were quickly removed, he said, and the ballroom went into lockdown. During what he calls the "chaos and confusion," attendees got low to the ground to avoid potential crossfire.
Lawler was thinking at the time of his two young kids.
According to AP, the gunman, who has been identified as 31-year-old California-resident Cole Tomas Allen, had a shotgun, a handgun and knives on him. One secret service agent was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but is recovering, officials say.
"The fact that the gunman was able to get within vicinity of the event, given all of the security measures, speaks to the challenges law enforcement faces every day," Lawler wrote on X.
Hours later on X, Lawler spoke about the security measures at the event, saying that while the perimeter outside the ballroom held up, there were "numerous glaring security issues."
He listed the security issues, claiming:
There was no photo ID and no verified list of attendees, but that is common for any White House event.
There were no magnetometers before entering the ballroom, and prior to the event, there were numerous receptions that someone could have easily gotten into — with limited security.
The building was still open to the general public.
Without getting into details, there was not a good handle on how many members of Congress were at the event and where they were in the room.
There needs to be a complete and thorough probe as to how the gunman got from his hotel room into a secure area with numerous guns.
